Is money safer in the bank or under the pillow? The situation is similar with cryptocurrencies. Self-custody is often preached like a mantra in the cryptocurrency scene: Remember: ‘Not your keys, not your coins’? But dangers lurk here, especially for beginners. If you choose the right crypto platform, you can trust your coins are protected by world class security. Here’s why self custody can be a draw and how you find Custody 101: Why Holding Keys With a Reputable Provider Can Make Sense Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) exist on the blockchain. To use them, you authorize transactions with a private…

More and more neobanks offer crypto trading but they’re often not executing trades themselves and are acting as a user-friendly front-end interface, with the actual trading happening on the order books of a centralized exchange or broker. Here are ten arguments why crypto brokers like Coinbase are adding value to customers for their trading:  1. Broader coverage of tokens. While some neobanks only offer a handful of popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), Coinbase provides a very broad selection of assets, including altcoins, stablecoins, and digital tokens. You can choose more than 300 coins and tokens from almost…

It’s 2025 and crypto space makes the headlines with assets from exchanges being phished or neo brokers suddenly freezing their crypto offering amidst regulatory challenges. Security and trust is still an important decision making criteria when investors look for a home for their crypto trading. We have compiled reasons why Coinbase is the most trusted crypto app (surveys conducted by YouGov and Qualtrics in Q4’22 and Q1’23). One reason is that we transparently work with the Web3 community, researchers, and developers to make on-chain solutions genuinely secure.  1. 100% Custody of Customer Assets’ Value Coinbase holds the full reserve of…

Velmie, a Lithuania-based provider of white-label banking software, has released a digital banking platform designed specifically for gold-backed financial services. The system is intended to help fintech firms, banks, and investment companies introduce gold-based products more quickly while ensuring compliance, security, and a consistent user experience. Gold has long been regarded as a reliable store of value, but its traditional role as a static investment asset has limited its practical use. Velmie’s new platform is designed to make gold a liquid and accessible instrument, fully integrated into digital financial systems. A Complete Gold-Backed Banking Solution The platform offers the core…

In today’s digital environment, relying on the basic building blocks of technology is no longer enough. Still, it’s not all about big things like artificial intelligence or biometric access to your account. One of the fundamental turning points is Big Data. Big Data isn’t just for marketing teams. It plays a key role in helping companies detect weak spots early, respond to system issues faster, and refine their services. In this article, we’ll show what exactly we’re doing at Luna Pay to change how payments work and why it matters. What Are Data-Driven Payments? Data-driven payments are payment systems that…

Genome (UAB Maneuver LT) has launched real-time notifications for incoming payments via API using webhooks. The service is used to send notifications as webhook messages to URLs defined by Genome’s business clients. The feature was developed with the iGaming, marketing, e-commerce, retail, and wholesale industries in mind, enabling them to track external incoming payments efficiently, reducing operational risks, and improving customer satisfaction. “The speed and reliability of payment notifications are critical for modern businesses. For example, delays between a player topping up their iGaming account and the business being notified can lead to operational hiccups, poor financial management, strained customer…

The Baltic region, and particularly Lithuania, has been at the forefront of fintech innovation in Europe. As the European Union prepares to implement PSD3 and PSR1, these new regulations promise to bring significant changes to the payment ecosystem, further transforming the financial services landscape in Lithuania. Open banking, which mandates that banks share customer data with licensed fintech companies, has promoted competition and innovation. Now, PSD3 and PSR1 aim to refine this framework, ensuring higher security, efficiency, and broader access. Open banking allows banks to share customer data with licensed companies, with the customer’s consent, through secure digital connections known…

Genome (UAB Maneuver LT) has launched SEPA Instant Transfers for all its clients. The update lets users make euro payments within seconds, streamlining personal and business finances across the Eurozone. This way, the company wants to enhance its clients’ experience by enabling instant, cost-effective transfers perfect for individual day-to-day operations and business transactions. “The whole world is moving towards implementing instant payments, and our team is glad to be a part of this international trend. Our highest priority is for Genome’s clients to have a fast and convenient option to transfer funds across Europe,” explained Genome’s CEO, Daumantas Barauskas. The…

The fintech industry is evolving, and regulatory requirements are becoming more stringent. As of April 2025, the European Central Bank (ECB) will no longer allow Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs) and Payment Institutions (PIs) to safeguard their clients’ funds with National Central Banks. This shift means that all non-bank Payment Service Providers (PSPs) must safeguard their funds with commercial banks, making finding a reliable and compliant partner critical. What is a safeguarding account? A safeguarding account is a financial account that keeps client funds separate from the institution’s operational funds, ensuring protection in financial instability or insolvency. This legal requirement helps…

In the digital world, Sunday Marketplace OÜ stands out not only for its commitment to service excellence but also for its dedication to continuous technological innovation. The company understands that to provide efficient and secure service, it is crucial to stay at the forefront of emerging technologies and best practices in cybersecurity. Security: A Fundamental Pillar Security is an absolute priority at Sunday Marketplace OÜ. The company has implemented security practices across all layers of its system to protect both user information and the integrity of its operations. From authentication and authorization to protection against cyberattacks, every platform aspect is…

The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2023 Global Risks Report states that cybersecurity ranks among the top 10 global risks both currently and in the future. The annual cost of cybercrime is expected to reach US$10.5 trillion by 2025 Data from Barracuda, a cybersecurity company, shows that cyberattacks are more effective during the summer, when companies are short-staffed. In January, only about 1 in 80 (1.25%) threat alerts were serious enough to warrant a security alert to a customer, rising to 1 in 5 (20%) between June and September. Cybersecurity is a growing concern also in the Baltic region, which is…

AS LPB Bank officially changed its legal name to AS Magnetiq Bank, while also introducing a new brand visual identity. The renaming and rebranding of the bank are based on an acquisition deal concluded at the end of 2023, in which Latvia’s leading investment bank, Signet Bank AS, became the sole shareholder and parent company of AS LPB Bank. The brand change is part of a broader business development strategy for the Signet Bank group and AS Magnetiq Bank. Its aim is to promote more effective implementation of financial innovations, improve the availability of digital products in the banking sector,…

The international financial technology hackathon “Open FinHack” ended with the victory of the Latvian team “Frankey.” The competition was fierce—231 participants from 38 countries applied for the hackathon. As part of the hackathon “Open FinHack”, participants searched for both B2B and B2C solutions in six areas of the financial industry – crowdfunding, fraud detection and prevention, blockchain solutions, data analytics, personalised financial services and financial literacy. Both individual authors of ideas and experts, as well as early-stage start-ups, could apply for the hackathon. For almost a week, 23 teams worked day and night, in person and remotely, to develop their…

Noda, a leader in instant transaction facilitation, proudly announces its market expansion alongside Wargaming into the Baltic region, including Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Starting in January 2024, this strategic partnership will bring innovative Open Banking payment solutions to online gamers across these countries. After more than a year of serving as a trusted payment facilitator for Wargaming in major markets like Germany, UK, and France, Noda is now extending its services to the burgeoning gaming markets in the Baltic States, including Lithuania. This move marks a significant step in addressing the unique needs of the Baltic gaming community. In the…

AlternativePayments, a leading FinTech company and local payment solution provider based in Vilnius, Lithuania, and iDenfy, also based in Lithuania, announced the availability of iDenfy’s identity verification solution. Mindaugas Rizgelis, CEO of AlternativePayments, stated that this will ensure a smooth and easy onboarding process for AlternativePayments merchants. In addition to the easy online boarding portal, AlternativePayments is now adding a smooth verification process. iDenfy is a Lithuanian start-up set up in 2016 by Domantas Čiuldė and Gediminas Ratkevičius. Their process protects merchants’ businesses from the most threatening forms of identity fraud, including forged, counterfeit, blank or stolen, fantasy or camouflage,…

Lithuanian start-up InRento has merged with EvoEstate, the largest real estate aggregator in Europe, and has become the largest licensed buy to let crowdfunding platform in Europe further operating under the name of InRento. According to Gustas Germanavičius, founder and CEO of InRento, after this merger the company will be able to implement its vision faster – to offer more larger-scale rental projects in Europe and attract a bigger number of investors worldwide. “Our growth strategy is based not only on expanding InRento as a platform, but also on acquiring or merging with other companies. This helps us move forward…

Lithuania introduced a new business partnership and business networking platform “B2Lithuania” to boost export and facilitate international partnerships with foreign companies. The platform, which is free of charge, displays over 2,600 profiles of Lithuanian export companies operating in high-tech engineering, ICT, life sciences, and other sectors. “B2Lithuania” platform also contains reliable information verified by Enterprise Lithuania, a non-profit entrepreneurship and export development agency established by the Ministry of  Economy and Innovation. At the same time, it displays representative details of the companies, as well as the option to arrange online meetings. According to Rasa Uždavinytė, head of the Export Department at Enterprise Lithuania, the interactive…

Intergiro will offer its embedded finance services to clients in the Finnish market Intergiro’s API-suite of offerings includes white label banking services, card issuing, payment processing, and more Client base already includes neobanks, payments institutions and crypto exchanges Sweden-based fintech pioneer Intergiro is launching its Banking as a Service (BaaS) platform, Intergiro.3d, in the Finnish market. Intergiro.3d is an all-in-one embedded financial toolkit Intergiro.3d is designed for businesses to build their own financial solutions or embed financial operations into their products and services. Its flexible APIs enable clients to create anything from card programmes, to white-label banking services, to fully-fledged…

Veriff announced that they have raised $100M in Series C financing, co-led by Tiger Global and Alkeon, joined by existing investors IVP and Accel. This round brings Veriff’s total funding to $200M and its valuation to $1.5B, as it aims to expand its global customer base and deliver trusted online identity verifications. The new financing will be used to accelerate Veriff’s global growth and invest in R&D, especially to advance product expansion. The company will also grow its sales and marketing teams to onboard more global clients and build on recent customer success programs. In addition, Veriff will expand its…

Bolt announced the closing of their latest €628M round of funding — the largest to date. The investment round was led by Sequoia and Fidelity Management and increased Bolt’s valuation to €7.4B. Rebuilding cities for people, not cars For the past 8 years, Bolt strived to prove the point that owning a personal car is no longer a necessity and built an ecosystem around it. This round of funding — the biggest in Bolt’s history — will help Bolt to build a future in which cities need fewer parking spaces, have less congestion and lower emissions, and where people can…